Focused on beating RCD Espanyol. With that mentality, Real Oviedo arrived at the Carlos Tartiere to face the ninth matchday of LaLiga EA Sports. The "carbayones" faced the "perico" team in their fourth home game of the season, where the team from the capital of the Principality aimed to secure three new points in the First Division. After the defeat against Levante UD, Luis Carrión started with Aarón Escandell, Nacho Vidal, Eric Bailly, David Carmo, Rahim, Hassan, Dendoncker, Colombatto, Ilyas, Ilić, and Rondón.
The home team began the match with ambition. In the opening moments, Ilić had a one-on-one with Dmitrovic after a great assist from Ilyas. Shortly after, Hassan tried his luck with a cross that ended up in the hands of the Serbian goalkeeper. The blues found space on the wings, especially through the runs of Hassan and Ilyas, but they lacked precision in the final shot.
The best offensive combination came in the 23rd minute: a brilliant run by Hassan, a filtered pass to Ilić, who laid it off to Rondón, but Riedel was crucial in preventing the Venezuelan striker's shot. The attacks kept coming, and in the 31st minute, a tense cross from Ilyas to the penalty spot was nearly finished by Rondón.
Two minutes later, Espanyol responded with a shot from Kike, which Escandell saved with quick reflexes. Shortly after, Kike tried again, this time heading the ball to Roberto, whose shot was also stopped by the blue goalkeeper. Escandell shone again just before halftime, saving a direct free kick from Pere Milla. The first half ended 0-0, although the score did not reflect the chances created by both teams.
After the break, Oviedo came out determined to find the goal. The first chance came in the 47th minute: Colombatto fought for a ball in the box and passed it to Reina, who hit the right post of Dmitrovic with a shot while almost falling. Espanyol's response came quickly, and in the 51st minute, after a set-piece play, Kike shot in the box, forcing Aarón into a remarkable double save.
Later, the "carbayones" orchestrated a great counterattack that Hassan finished with a shot into the visiting goalkeeper's hands. Shortly after, Ilyas created another good individual play that ended with a shot over the crossbar. The game became more open, and Espanyol took advantage of the moment. In the 72nd minute, after a VAR review, the referee validated the visitors' first goal. Carlos Romero crossed from the left, Aarón managed to block the initial shot, but the ball fell to Kike García at the far post, who, while falling, pushed the 0-1 into the back of the net. A tough blow for Oviedo.
After the "perico" goal, Carrión used up his substitutions, bringing on Álex Forés and Ejaira in the 80th minute. However, two minutes later, Pere Milla finished off a play by Manolo González's team to seal the match. The 0-2 scoreline was an excessive punishment for an Oviedo side that created chances and held their own for much of the game but lacked the efficiency and decisiveness of Espanyol. Now, it's time to focus on Girona FC.
